Olympics at Home

Millie Lange
Effingham Daily News

July 03, 2009 12:13 am

— I was sitting in my living room recently, thinking I was going to spend a quiet evening, when the Olympics broke out in my home.
Yes, I hear you say to yourself, how could her home be the site of the Olympics? Well, it may not have been the real Olympics, but it was a close version. Although I didn't hear the theme song playing and there wasn't a parade of athletes going by my chair, there were lots of different sports going on.
My reverie was broken when I heard a scrambling sound coming from my dining room. Sounded like speedskating to me. I knew my dog Snickers was back there, but I didn't think he had taken up speed skating, but then with him you never know.
I leaped to my feet to turn and start yelling at him . . . I thought the skates would leave a mark on my dining room floor . . . when all of a sudden I realized I had the wrong sport and the wrong season. It wasn't speedskating during the winter Olympics, but the 100 yard dash during the summer Olympics that was going on.
And the track and field meet was about to extend into the living room where I was. Here came Snickers hot on the tail of a Jamaican squirrel. Had to be, since the squirrel was running about as fast as Usain Bolt, who rocketed to gold in the 100 during the Bejing Olympics.
Honest, this squirrel shot past me and headed into my family room and he was just a blur. Of course Snickers was right there, so there may have been two world records broken, I don't know. Anyhow, my other dog Crackers (yes I have a fetish about food) joined in the ongoing race.
They were bouncing off my furniture after this squirrel so much that I thought we had returned to the winter games and I was watching the bobsled event. Or, if pinball ever becomes an Olympic sport . . .
Of course I was trying to be level-headed about a squirrel in my house as I stood with my mouth hanging open, dumbfounded. I quickly regained a little sense as the squirrel slid under a chair and disappeared into the coils of my recliner. Actually, he might have been trying to take up gymnastics.
I finally grabbed Snickers in a chase reminiscent of the movie Bullett and threw him into my bedroom. Then I went back and tackled (see football also could have been there) Crackers and threw her into the bedroom. That did away with the ripping and tearing around.
Then I had to figure out how to remove this squirrel from the premises without causing further ruckus. I finally opened my front door and propped the screen open, then I proceeded to try and herd the squirrel out the door. Head 'em up, move 'em out. I shooed him out from under the chair, but he disappeared behind the couch.
Then I made a great faking maneuver at the couch and he headed out into the middle of the room, saw the open door and went for his freedom leaving me standing there panting and relieved that it had been relatively easy.
I figure the squirrel saw his future in the Olympics wasn't very good since he couldn't outrun two dogs and me, so he headed back to Jamaica to rethink his life. Whatever, I was just glad he had left and the dogs and I could resume our quiet time.
Well, enough of that. It's on to real sports:
Jesse Brandt, a 2007 graduate of Stewardson-Strasburg High School and a 2009 graduate of Lake Land College, will continue his baseball career and education at Oakland City University, Oakland City, Ind. Brandt signed his letter of intent to play for the Mighty Oaks as a catcher and will major in law enforcement/criminal justice.
He was one of three valedictorians for the class of 2007 at Stew-Stras and recently graduated summa cum laude and was a member of the Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society. He is a 2009 member of the Great Rivers Athletic Conference All Academic Team and was also named as Academic All-American for 2009.
Another Stew-Stras graduate, Warren Beals earned a letter for the Millikin University baseball team. Beals will be a junior next year. He batted .550 with seven hits, including a double and a home run and seven RBIs.
The Lincoln Land Community College volleyball team recently signed two area players. Brittany Brandt and Beka Pruemer will be playing for LLCC and Coach Jim Dietz. Brandt is a Cumberland graduate, was a middle hitter and led her team to a third place finish at the Class 1A State Tournament. She was named honorable mention. Pruemer is a Stew-Stras graduate and is a setter/hitter who was a three-time All-National Trail Conference selection and honorable mention All-State.
The Blue Team recently downed the Gray Team 95-77 in the second annual Olney Central College All-Star girls basketball game. Effingham graduate Brittany Shadowens scored 15 points for the Blue Team. Shadowens pulled down a game-high 15 boards and blocked three shots.
Drew Robertson, who guided the Cumberland High School girls volleyball team to a third-place finish in the Class 1A State Tournament last season, has resigned. Robertson will be teaching business at Decatur Eisenhower. Taking over the reins of the Pirates volleyball program will be Monica (Brown) McNeil, who coached Cumberland from 1998 to 2002.
Funeral services for former Collinsville High School basketball coach Vergil Fletcher will be held today at Saints Peter and Paul Catholic Church in Collinsville following three hours of visitation there. Fletcher led the Kahoks from 1946 to 1978, guiding them to state titles in 1961 and 1965. He had a career record of 747 victories and Collinsville made 14 state tournament appearances under him. He also coached football from 1946 to 1966 where he had a 99-66-11 record.